Check Out Two Clips from This Friday's 'Torchwood: Miracle Day'

It's said that we're in the midst of a television renaissance, with smart original programming finding new expression on cable, where such shows are not forced to pander in order to score big network-style ratings. The subjects of these excellent series are not limited to 1960's ad men, Prohibition Era bootleggers, and meth-cooking chemistry teachers; on Starz, science fiction gets quality treatment with Torchwood: Miracle Day, which sees the BBC Doctor Who spinoff crew coming to American shores. We've got two sneak-peek clips teasing this Friday's new episode, entitled "End of Road" and both demonstrate that this isn't the sort of sci fi with cheesy backdrops and laughable tech-speak dialogue.

If you haven't seen the show, Miracle Day kicks off when suddenly, all over the world, people simply stop dying. Of course, the global media heralds this as a miracle, missing completely the huge questions and inevitable consequences of the phenomenon. CIA agent Rex Matheson, played by Mekhi Pfifer, set out to investigate the source of this sudden immortality, leading him John Barrowman's Captain Jack Harkness, an immortal con man and leader of the now-defunct alien-hunting Torchwood Institute.

The cast includes Lauren Ambrose, Eve Myles, Alexa Havins, and Bill Pullman as a death row inmate who was the first recorded individual to avoid death when he was being executed on Miracle Day. In the first clip, you may have also noticed that the antagonistic gentleman from the CIA is played by John De Lancie, who is best known for his recurring role as Q on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The Torchwood: Miracle Day episode "End of the Road" airs on Starz Friday, August 26th at 10:00 pm ET/PT.